Palmeiras took a 1-0 lead over Vasco in their Copa do Brasil semi-final after Maurício scored the only goal of the first leg at Nubank Parque on Sunday.
The home side, coached by Abel Ferreira, will need only a draw in the return leg to reach another final of the competition.
Palmeiras dominated the first half and created a series of dangerous chances. After two minutes, Flaco López attempted a cross that almost caught out goalkeeper Leo Jardim. The Argentine forward then received a pass from Giay inside the area but missed a big opportunity. At 15 minutes, after Leo Jardim failed to clear a cross properly, Giay again wasted a clear chance by shooting wide.
Maurício broke the deadlock in the 23rd minute. From a through ball by Marlon Freitas, the midfielder ran in behind the Vasco defence and struck a fine cross-shot into the net.
Palmeiras kept pressing and almost doubled their lead at 40 minutes. After an error in goal, Leo Jardim left his goal exposed and was rescued by Paulo Henrique, who headed Arias's effort off the line. Vasco's only real threat in the first half came at 42 minutes, when Lescano shot wide from a cross.
The pattern continued after the break. Vasco adopted a more attacking posture but still struggled to create, while Palmeiras exploited the spaces left by the visitors. In one of Vasco's rare attacks, the team appealed for a penalty for a handball by Alexander Barboza inside the area, but referee Anderson Daronco and the VAR did not award a foul.
After substitutions, Vasco improved and threatened at 27 minutes with a low cross that went across the Palmeiras area without finding a finish at Carlos Miguel's goal. At 31 minutes, left-back Cuiabano forced the Palmeiras goalkeeper into a good save with a cross-shot.
Vasco's improvement was halted by Saldívia's dismissal in the following move. The defender controlled the ball poorly and brought down Vitor Roque, stopping the forward's run, and received a second yellow card.
With a numerical advantage, Palmeiras attacked again in search of a bigger lead, but the home side could not create the same chances as in the first half and the score remained unchanged until the end.
Sources: CNN Brasil.